THE turnaround is quick, but Lewis Crocker is keen to capitalise on the momentum of his breakout win against Tyrone McKenna when he faces the dangerous Jose Felix at the Ulster Hall on Saturday night (live on DAZN from 7pm).

That win in the ‘Battle of Belfast’ at the SSE Arena saw Crocker emerge from his status of local boxing’s best kept secret as he announced himself to a much wider audience and drew a significant amount of new admires in his home city and further afield.

Despite his record now sitting at 18-0, it was mainly the Irish boxing fraternity who knew what the South Belfast native is capable of, but he gets the chance to take another big step forward this weekend.

Yes, the turnaround from the McKenna win is quick, but perhaps it’s exactly what he needs with the vacant WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title on offer.

Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom outfit had not been in Belfast for over six years when they promoted the December 2 card at the SSE Arena, so the fact they have opted to return to the city just a matter of weeks later suggests they are excited for what they have unearthed and Crocker is thrilled to be given such a major platform to shine once again.

“It was a shock, but once the fight was agreed, I was buzzing for it,” said the former Holy Trinity amateur.

“How can you turn an opportunity like this down? Headlining in Belfast on a Matchroom card, you just want to keep the ball rolling, going from big fight to big fight in the space of a month.

“It’s great, but I think if I’m offered another next month I think I might just take a wee breather!

“It gives me confidence they are bringing a show back here so quickly, especially with me headlining.

“They must have seen something they like, so hopefully a big performance here on the 27th will see them back again.”

This is far from a ‘gimme’ for Crocker as Felix has proven his worth throughout his career and is no stranger to local fight fans.

The 31-year-old from Los Mochis, Sinaloa arrives with a record of 40-6-1 with 31 of his victories inside the distance, including his third-round stoppage of Gary Cully - albeit at lightweight- at the 3 Arena in Dublin last May, which was his last time in the ring.

Two fights previous, ‘Josesito’ took on Tyrone McKenna in the Falls Park, rising from a first round knockdown to drop the Belfast man with a body shot in the third round of a thriller in which he came up short on the cards, so Crocker needs little warning as to the size of the task ahead despite his rival making his bow in the 147lb division.

“His last fight was Gary Cully and we all saw what happened,” he acknowledged.

“I’m aware he’s a big puncher, but standing across the ring is another big puncher. I always feel the harder fights are the ones where they are trying to survive and it’s hard to look good in them.

“With another game opponent here, it will be a big night in Belfast and he is the  perfect opponent.”

His win over McKenna was also the perfect way for Crocker to announce himself to the wider boxing public.

During his career, his talents were well known amongst the local fight fraternity, but shining on such a big stage in a fight that gripped the attention was the perfect way to take the big step forward his career needed.

There is added attention but not pressure, he insists, as the growing support is an inspiration to move onto bigger and better things.

A big win this weekend will see him likely earn a good world ranking and the conversation of even bigger nights and bigger names can begin.

“It was the people’s main event and the most talked about going into the whole event,” he said of the December 2 win over McKenna.

“The feedback I’ve got from it is amazing. It really was a life-changing fight as it put me out there and I have far more eyes on me now and I’m starting to get the credit and the platform. Another good performance here really sets up 2024 to be an amazing year.

“The amount of people who have started to notice me and wished me well, it definitely has changed and I’ve noticed that.

“The last fight you had all the people in the crowd with the inflatable crocodiles, which was amazing. I hope I can build on that and build the support in Belfast so we can bring the big nights back.”